Bosque del Apache in Nov.

[Raybel Robles]

Hey guys,

I'm planning my first trip to Bosque this year. As many of you guys have been there before, I'm wondering which tips you guys can give me about the area?


I will be staying in Socorro from Nov 8th to Nov 15th.



Thanks!

[Doug Campbell]

Strive to produce images that don't look like 99% of all the ones I have seen from there. Sandhill Cranes in the famous golden light...been done tens of thousands of times. Dare to be different.

[Raybel Robles]

I will definitely try and take different photos but sometimes is not all about been different. I would be more than happy to experience Bosque even if a few photos turn out to be like the others taken before.

I will like to know if theres other areas around Socorro worth checking for birds as well?


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[Diane Miller]

Arthur Morris has an e-guide to shooting there and as I recall it includes information on a duck pond in Socorro and the ABQ zoo, which has wild ducks for visitors. The crane pools are excellent and there is another wildlife management area N or Bosque called Bernardin or something like that. Not much water there but there were some flight shots to be had as they come in for breakfast in the corn fields -- at least as of several years ago that's what I found.

[Don Lacy]

I went to Bosque for the first time last year and I loved it, my best advice is to be prepared for the cold if you're not used to those temperatures I thought I was but having lived in Florida for the last 25 years I had forgotten how miserable it can make you. As for the dare to be different I have a different thought on that the whole reason to go to Bosque is to shoot cranes in geese in some of the most beautiful light around just because its been done before does not make it any less rewarding.

[Diane Miller]

Yes, expect C-O-L-D. It will feel like the temperature dropped about 50 degrees in the first 5 minutes after sunset, and it will be seriously cold in the mornings.

[Ian Cassell]

Ditto on the cold! I have a pair of hunter's mittens, but still put handwarmers in them and still was cold! Albuquerque Zoo isn't a long drive and a great place to get wood ducks and widgeons (not to mention the wonderful polar bears, cats, etc.). Another interesting spot is the National Radiotelescope Observatory (Very Large Array - VLA) outside soccorro. The last time I was there, a herd of pronghorn was grazing out front.

[Raybel Robles]

Thank you all for the wonderful advice. I live in the Cayman Islands in the middle of the caribbean where it is extremely hot all year around. So yup the coldness of Bosque will be something very new for me!


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[Don Lacy]

So yup the coldness of Bosque will be something very new for me!

Dress in layers start with a base of long underwear, also a baclava for your face and wool hat and socks. My hands and feet gave me the most trouble when I go again I will layer my hands with gloves and pull back mittens and get a better pair of boots and lots of hand warmers they saved the trip for me.

[David Stephens]

Thank you all for the wonderful advice. I live in the Cayman Islands in the middle of the caribbean where it is extremely hot all year around. So yup the coldness of Bosque will be something very new for me!

In Colorado, I shoot in this weather all the time and it's no problem because I have the right equipment. The problem for you is that I have several hundred dollars of equipment just for the cold and if you bought it, you might never use it again. The very best equipment for sitting out is often designed for duck hunting. Like photography, you do lots of sitting out, waiting, with frost forming on you. I have a Gore-Tex Barretta, multi-layer jacket that's good down below zero. In November, it's unlikely to get that cold, so a ski jacket with layers underneath should do the trick.

You'll be able to mail order winter gear, starting in September, but you may want to shop in Albuquerque at one of the outdoors shops, right after you get to the airport. The shorter range weather forecast will be more reliable. Preparing for 30-degrees is way different from 10-degrees.

[Raybel Robles]

Thank you both Don Lacy and David Stephens for the good advice. It is much appreciated! I can't wait to go, I'm starting to count the days!

[Don Lacy]

Raybell, Here is a picture of me on a typical Bosque morning now I went the first week of December so it was probably colder then what you will be experiencing. I was dressed in long underwear, sweat pants, and hunting pants for my legs while I wore a sweater and fleece jacket under my outer jacket. On my head was the baclava and wool hat and on my feet I had a pair of wool socks over cotton socks. My main issues were my feet and hands so make sure you have a winter pair of boots and adequate gloves and or mittens plus hand warmers, and yes thats a whole field of Geese in front of me.

[Bob Ettinger]

Don't forget hand and foot warmers. As everyone has said it can get cold. Last time I was there it was -12 F. You can buy them in Socorro at the Walmart.

[Raybel Robles]

Thank you so much for the superb information Don and Bob. Im making notes of all of this and working in preparing my self for it :)

One last thing... do you guys experienced any condensation with the lens up there with all the change in temperature?

[Don Lacy]

Keep your lens in the camera bag when it's in your room and open the bag in your car before driving to the refuge keep it in the trunk not in the heated car.

[Raybel Robles]

Keep your lens in the camera bag when it's in your room and open the bag in your car before driving to the refuge keep it in the trunk not in the heated car.

Perfect! Thank you so much!

[Kerry Perkins]

If you want to see something besides cranes and geese, try driving west from Socorro on Hwy 60 about 20 miles. You will come to Water Canyon Road. Take a left and drive up to the campground, which is about 4.5 miles. There you will find woodpeckers and songbirds. Also be alert for Pronghorn Antelope along the road as you drive up to the campground. Also, if you are interested in landscapes and birdscapes at all don't forget your wide angle lenses. I usually set up somewhere near the Flight Deck about a half hour before dawn to capture the incredible colors just before dawn. Then, when the sun peeks over the mountains, thousands of birds take flight and head north to the farm fields. It's quite a spectacle. The crane pools on the way into the refuge are great for silhouettes of landing cranes just after sunset. I will be there the following week so I will miss you. Have a great trip!

[Raybel Robles]

Thank you so much for your nice suggestions Kerry.

Im traveling with my girlfriend and she is very good at landscapes photos. Im sure she will have a blast just like me with my birds :). I would love to drive to the campground as well to find the other species.


Raybel

[PeterGruener]

Eva and I are planning our first trip to Bosque and we will be in the US from Nov. 23rd until Dec. 16th (arriving in San Francisco, leaving from L.A). As at the beginning of our visit the Intermittent Road will be open I am wondering how much more shooting opportunities this will give us.
Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Peter

[PeterGruener]

OK. Our travel plans are forming a little bit. We will spend Thanksgiving with friends in Oregon and then one or two days after drive south towards Bosque del Apache. I'll try to connect with some of you once a clear date is in sight.

[Raybel Robles]

Thank you all for your great help and information on Bosque. I got back 2 days a go and it was a superb trip. Beautiful place! and yes it was cold! :)